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How to Brighten a Rainy Day Brunch

Jeffery Rudell, contributor

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The complexity and structure of these paper parasols disguise how simple this project actually is. Your table will look sophisticated but it won't cost you much and it won't take long to create.

Jeff Rudell

This paper topiary injects a welcome sense of fun into an otherwise formal setting and adds a nice dash of color to the setting.

Jeff Rudell

A simple handful of rice holds my standards in place in their pots and does double duty by echoing the theme of my party.

Jeff Rudell

The complexity and structure of these paper parasols disguise how simple this project actually is. Your table will look sophisticated but it won't cost you much and it won't take long to create.

Photo: Jeff Rudell

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We had all the ingrediants for a perfect weekend away near the shore: a brunch to introduce new friends to old, a menu of Asian-inspired cuisine, a selection of exotic imported teas...and a nor'easter that nearly blew the house off its foundations. It could have been a disaster (and it very nearly was) had my friends and I not taken it as an opportunity to slip off our wet shoes, run around in our socks, drink cups of hot tea, and enjoy the warmth of being inside while the weather raged outside.

We had originally intended to cut a handful of tulips from the garden to use on the table, but the high winds and pelting rain all but destroyed them before we got a chance to gather them. With very little time to make other plans (and no flowershop within easy reach of where we were), we headed to the grocery store to see what we could find that would suffice as table decor. On a low, dusty shelf in the paper products aisle, we found a box colorful cocktail parasols. On the way home, we stopped at a tiny local craft and fabric store where we were lucky to find two styrofoam standards (on sale!). With these goodies in hand, we headed back home. A neighbor offered us two clay flowerpots to complete the project.

All told, I spent about 25 minutes making these cheery centerpieces (and 10 of those minutes were spent photographing the process for this post). Those few hurried minutes brightened the entire day for us and our guests. Again, paper came to my rescue and, unlike fresh flowers, these lovely creations won't disintegrate into a pile of wilted petals, so I plan on using them again in the future.

So, unlike some of my previous posts (many of which take hours and hours and hours of time and effort to complete), today I offer a down-and-dirty, quick-and-easy project that you can use all summer long.

Craft on!

P.S.

In answer to all the readers who have emailed to ask when my book is coming out, I am happy to report, "soon." I'm putting together a mailing list to let people know when that happens, and if you'd like to have your name added to it, simply send me a message with "CraftStylish" in the Subject Line and I'll be sure to alert you to the event when it occurs. For the record, I do not sell or share ANY email addresses with ANYONE; I don't send spam; and I don't broadcast updates every week. You will receive only one email from me when the book becomes available and that's it. If you care to converse with me beyond that, I leave it to your discretion to write and tell me so. :-)

Reach me at "jeffrudell" followed by the "@" symbol, a dot (.), and the extension "gmail" or follow me on Twitter: @jeffrudell

Two styrofoam standards (overall height 18 inches with 6-inch-diameter globes) and a box of paper parasols are all I needed to begin my project.

It proved difficullt to keep each of the parasols fully open, so I decided to insert them all in a partially open postion, which made the finished piece look wonderfully textured and dimensional.

I inserted all of the orange, pink, and yellow parasols first and then "covered up" the areas between them (where the globe showed through) with green parasols.

To add a more finished look to the stem of the standard, I wrapped it with a length of ribbon, pinning it into the styrofoam at the top and the bottom.

To disguise the green styrofoam base, I covered it with a handful of rice (of which I had plenty since my menu was Asian cuisine).

The finished pieces atop a sideboard. They looked bright, cheery, and very springlike but also slightly formal and manicured. Unlike real topiaries, which would have cost a mint, these cost only $10 for the two.

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Topiaries
shclen

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Comments (17)

Rafikinhos writes: What a great idea for a baby shower or wedding shower.

The umbrella's can be sprayed gold or silver and the trunk covered with satin ribbon for a wedding decoration. I definately will be using this idea for one of my social events.

Thank you!
Posted: 9:29 am on August 13th

smita writes: Beautiful n easy DIY idea, will surely make it for my next party .....
Posted: 9:56 am on August 8th

smita writes: Beautiful n easy DIY idea, will surely make it for my next party .....
Posted: 9:55 am on August 8th

Preeti writes: Really Really very great home decoration idea. Very creative, easy to make and inexpencive too.
Thanks for sharing
Posted: 6:12 am on June 22nd

lling writes: Wow! what a great idea !
Posted: 11:01 pm on May 6th

hemidemisemiquaver writes: REALLY? You slay me. ***Bowing to you like you are Mecca.*** (hey...it's better than Buddha)
Posted: 8:23 pm on May 5th

Diannpcw writes: Awesome!
Posted: 2:41 pm on May 5th

sarahjames writes: This is great!
Would you consider posting this over at instructables.com?
We're the largest DIY website on the net, and it would be a great way to drive traffic back to your site.
Since the pictures and copy are already perfect, it would be a snap to post on instructables. Once you do, let me know and I'll make sure you get featured on the front page!

Best,
Sarah
sarah@instructables.com
Posted: 2:16 pm on May 5th

jeannearis writes: Absolutely perfect!
Posted: 7:56 am on May 5th

Jen_W writes: I love this so, so much for its simplicity and genius. Yay!
Posted: 3:52 pm on May 4th

AWilcox writes: Very cool and colorful. My sister-in-law is party planner for the family and well, she is always the one chosen to decorate for all parties. I have passed this onto her and she loves it so much, that she will has decided to create these as table center pieces at her next event. Thanks again for your inspiring work, its always amazing.
Posted: 2:15 pm on May 4th

elbowyoyo writes: Fabulous. Just Fabulous!

Sometimes "happy accidents" far outpace planned designs . . . and this is a classic example! Bravo!
Posted: 1:27 pm on May 4th

Sister_Diane writes: Ah, a classically genius Jeff Rudell project! Simple, gorgeous, attainable. You are amazing.
Posted: 11:49 am on May 4th

Maureclaire writes:
Jeffery, you are the God of Paper ! I've been telling ALL my friends that, too !!!
Posted: 11:25 am on May 4th

swinginmartinis writes: These are great! I'm going to have to throw another party soon!
Posted: 10:55 am on May 4th

EEQamouse writes: This is fantastic. Your ability to look at something and see it as something else entirely is amazing.
Posted: 9:41 am on May 4th

Fiberfads writes: This is delightful! I host a hospitality club for girls 10-13 years old and we just planned an outdoor tea for their mothers. Indeed I had to explain that on the intended date it may very well rain and we will need a set of indoor plans just in case. I talked to them about flexibility. This post and table decor is a perfect example of my lesson!
Posted: 7:55 am on May 4th

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